


A Brush With Hope

by rainydayadvocate



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Leia Princess of Alderaan - Claudia Gray
Genre: F/M, Force Sensitivity, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 03:59:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16803217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainydayadvocate/pseuds/rainydayadvocate
Summary: Breha makes an unplanned visit to Coruscant after a 10-year-old Leia starts unknowingly using the Force to influence people. She needs her husband's calming presence to figure out how to handle the situation. Bail, understanding man that he is, knows exactly how to help.





	A Brush With Hope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ljparis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ljparis/gifts).



> Worked in a little Rebel intrigue and a whole lot of brushing. I hope you enjoy!

Breha hadn’t been to Coruscant for years. The city she stared at outside the window of Bail’s office was not the same thriving, exhilarating city of her youth. While still full of people and energy, the city radiated with despair and oppression. This was not the grand capital it once was. And it didn’t do anything to improve Breha’s mood.

Bail’s secretary had said he was in a committee meeting and should be out soon. That was an hour ago. What she probably meant was a _committee_ meeting that Breha would have been more than welcome to attend. It would’ve saved Bail the trouble of relaying the latest developments he and Mon had had with their outlying Rebel cells.

But no. Bail’s secretary was a pillar of secrecy and wouldn’t crack, not even for the Queen of Alderaan.

When he finally made it back to his office, he frowned and immediately closed the door without a word. Breha noticed that he also clicked a second button on the light control panel—sound proofing. Oh, she did love her husband.

He crossed to her and wrapped her in his warm embrace. Her head fell into her favorite spot between his shoulder and collarbone. She’d always fit perfectly there. “Why are you here, love?” he asked quietly, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“Leia,” Breha said, looking up at him. “Leia, Bail. I don’t know how to hide this anymore, how we can in good conscience not tell her.”

His frown deepened in a way he reserved for fatherly concern. “Is she levitating things again?”

“No,” Breha said, pulling back from the hug so she could see him better. “Worse. She’s unknowingly using the Force to persuade people. Dinner last night was berry and starflower cake with a mocoa bar.”

Bail’s hand brushed her face before working delicately at the pins that held Breha’s tiara in place. “Cake and mocoa? Nothing else?”

“No. When I went to the kitchens looking for something savory, I asked Hettie why we had cake and mocoa for dinner. Her expression glazed over for a minute and she shook her head, said she had planned on a soup and salad selection.”

Bail’s mastery of Breha’s braid was impressive. He easily found a pin holding a twirl in place and let the hair drop over her shoulder. “And she changed her mind because…?”

“Because Leia walked in there and said she thought a dinner of cake and mocoa would be fun. Bail, you know Leia. She says those things matter-of-factly, knowing they’ll never happen but hoping someone likes the idea anyway. She was just as surprised when dinner arrived as the rest of us were.”

Bail’s hands were busy on a delicate 4-strand braid that had been holding her hair up in a twist behind her tiara. As he finished detaching it, half a dozen braids fell down Breha’s back. “So she used Force influence without meaning to,” he said, his voice quiet. He took her by the shoulders and turned her around and unravel the rest of the braids.

“That hasn’t been the only incident, Bail.”

“What?”

“I asked Leia about it while she readied for bed last night. She said it’s been happening to her lately. They had an exam cancelled last month. Someone gave her their lunch at the academy because she thought their roll looked better than hers. She walked in on TooVee straightening up her toys last week and when she asked why TooVee was doing that, TooVee didn’t know. I want her to know and feel like her words have influence. They _should_. But only her words, without the Force to take the choice away from her audience. She’s going to be an excellent queen someday, but she can’t do this. I don’t know if we tell her or if we find a way to teach her without telling her. I have no idea how to handle this. This is what the Jedi temple was for!”

She pointed out the window, to the torched, desolate building whose middle spire was still visible beyond the Senate building. Palpatine had left it standing and burned out as a reminder of the Order’s treachery and treason.

And that was when the brush met her hair. Of course she’d realized her husband was pulling her hair out of its intricate braids; it was one of the first things he did when they saw each other after a long separation. What Breha hadn’t realized was that Bail had read the room, the tension she was exhibiting, and he knew he needed to calm her down. The fastest way to calm her down was the sensation of her husband sliding a brush through her hair.

Bail had his own brush for this ritual. It traveled with him everywhere he went. Breha had given it to him for their tenth anniversary. Gold plated with inlaid gems from her old broken crowns and tiaras, it wasn’t a practical brush for every day use. But its bristles were soft, distinctive from any other brush she used, and she hoped it was a reminder of her whenever they were apart.

Bail’s strokes melted away the worry, the stress, the tension. She closed her eyes and let him work his magic, magic far stronger than the Force. He kept her grounded and hopeful, and he instinctively knew when she needed that.

He brushed until every kink of braid was gone. Breha lost track of time, lost in the movement of her husbands incredible hands. He put the brush down and began her rub the tension out of her shoulders. “We probably need to contact him.”

Breha didn’t have to ask who. Instead, she just smiled and turned enough to look at him. “I already did, on the secure network.”

Bail smiled. “What did you say?”

“I believe I said something like, ‘She is making an impact without waving her hand. How can we make her less influential?’”

Bail nodded. “Shouldn’t arouse suspicion if intercepted. Has he replied?”

Breha shook her head. “No. But I only sent it right before I left, He rarely replies that quickly.”

“True.” Bail leaned in to kiss her, and Breha slid close to her husband. He wrapped her in a protective hug, but Breha could feel in his embrace that he needed to hold her as much as she wanted him to hold her.

She broke away from the kiss and reached for the brush, now sitting on the edge of his desk. She reached up and tamed a stubborn lock of his hair determined to fall into his face. “He’ll be able to help us, won’t he? Leia will be fine.”

“Of course Leia will be fine. We’ll be fine.”

She paused. “Want to share what came up in that _committee_ meeting?”

“Mmn. Only if you keep brushing my hair.”

Breha laughed and motioned for him to sit in his desk chair. Once seated, she went to work on her husband’s own head massage.

“Progress,” he said finally. “The Outer Rim cells are doing well with supplies. One of the cells picked up an incredible supply of coaxium straight from Kessel. We may have a base sooner than we hoped. I’m afraid I have even more books for you to balance, though.”

“You know I like my numbers,” Breha said, putting the brush down to work on his neck. “Should I plan another dinner party?”

“Please. We need to discuss strategy somewhere other than Coruscant.”

“Done.” Breha started to ask about upcoming Senate session dates so both Bail and Mon could get away, but then one of her data pads beeped. Not her official data pad, the _other_ one. Breha reached for it in her handbag, Bail’s hand finding its way to her waist.

“Is it him?”

Breha nodded. “Two-word message: ‘I’m coming.’”

Bail stood, clearly surprised, and took the datapad from her. “He’s worried.”

“Clearly.” Breha looked up at her husband. She wasn’t worried anymore. He knew how to calm him, how to bring her hope back. Obi-Wan deciding Leia’s abilities were worth a visit didn’t worry her, either. It gave her that much more hope. “But it’ll be okay.”

Bail smiled and nodded, leaning down to give her another kiss. “Yes. I think it will be.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm open to idea of continuing this, so let me know what you think!


End file.
